Their collective mood got even worse once the committee voted to send to the full House the proposed amendment to add a ban on same-sex marriage to the state constitution.

Bosma made sure of that, too.

Betrayal and disgust. There’s really no other way to feel about his decision to rig the results of the vote by moving HJR-3 from the Judiciary Committee to the Elections Committee.

His decision was a stomach-churning display of misplaced power, pride and pigheadedness.

Of course, many of the people who have complained about Bosma’s decision to save the measure from a merciful death in the Judiciary Committee are those who oppose the amendment.

The backlash on social media was immediate.

“Congrats to @Brian_Bosma on gaming the system.” “I don’t let my daughter change the rules in the middle of the game. And she’s only 10.” “Not even gay & this makes me FURIOUS!!”

They’re right. Because all Hoosiers should feel betrayed and disgusted.

This isn’t about whether you agree or disagree with adding a ban on same-sex marriage to the Indiana Constitution. This is about fairness. And this isn’t about whether Bosma has the legal right to move a measure from one committee to another committee, which he obviously does. It’s about whether he should have moved it.

Time and time again, state lawmakers have acknowledged how much of an emotional issue this is for Hoosiers — the latest being Rep. Milo Smith, chairman of the Elections Committee. Bosma, on the other hand, has tried to spin things a different way, saying only a few weeks ago that the measure wasn’t a priority for himself or other House Republicans — something which now sounds ridiculous.

What matters, though, is that the amendment has always been a priority for voters. Hoosiers don’t just get emotional about it. They are willing to invest the time, money and energy to fight over it.

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Last week, when the Judiciary Committee heard testimony about the amendment, so many people showed up that the hearing topped three and a half hours. And even then, lawmakers had to cut people off because they ran out of time. Everyone from corporate executives to religious leaders to young professionals to soccer moms showed up.

On Wednesday, the testimony topped four hours, with many of the same people returning to say the same things and a few new people stepping up to offer equally passionate speeches. The House gallery was full once again, and dozens of other people in red shirts remained in the hallway, watching the live video feed, holding signs, and booing and cheering.

Even Bosma admitted that “there was more intense discussion, pressure, lobbying on this issue than I’ve seen maybe in a long time.”

What’s disgusting was his response to it.

Instead of allowing the legislative process to run its course and accepting that opponents of the amendment had prevailed, Bosma changed the rules. Instead of allowing the Judiciary Committee to make the decision, he ordered a committee with members more likely to vote the way he wanted them to vote to handle the amendment instead.

What’s more, both opponents and supporters of the measure got only 24 hours notice of the committee change. Last time, they got about four days to bring in people to testify. I’m amazed how many people were able to clear their calendars and show up Wednesday.

Bosma’s decision not only covered up his gross miscalculation of how lawmakers in his own party would vote, it also tarnished the entire legislative process.

So much of our democracy rests on the fragile belief in the integrity of our laws and how they are made. Even though most of us whine and complain about corruption and the influence on money in politics, many of us still believe it’s possible to get through to our elected leaders.

We still vote. We still write and call our lawmakers. And, when we feel passionate enough about a topic, we still show up to testify to make our voices heard. We still believe that underdogs can win if they put up a good enough fight.

So what happens when you have someone like Bosma take that away? Someone in power who rigs the process so brazenly to get a specific outcome?

What happens is that fragile belief starts to evaporate. Voters start to believe — even more than we already do — that what we say doesn’t matter. That this is happening to such a high-profile piece of legislation makes it all the more damaging.

What happens is what happened Wednesday night. People who once believed in democracy cry. Others go numb and looked deflated. Many others turn red with helpless rage.

No matter what happens with HJR-3 now, I fear for the precedent Bosma has set with his decision. It is, as Rep. Ed DeLaney said, a “fundamentally wrong way to govern.”